Mexican Potluck – When did it all begin?
The first Mexican Potlucks probably happened at roughly the same time that Mexican Cuisine came into being, several thousand years ago. As one of the world’s oldest food cultures, Mexican food has refined itself over centuries to the point today where it is, arguably, perfect. However, you don’t only want to eat out to experience Mexican food. Making it at home is half the fun (and half the cost)! One thing which makes modern Mexican food so special is just how varied it is. Combining dishes from Spain and South America (so long as you classify Mexico as Central America), a good Mexican Potluck will satisfy everyone’s palette. From spicy food to prickly food (we’re talking cactuses here!) Mexican food throws up lots of wonderful surprises. Indeed, from vegetarian Mexican dishes to regular old meaty ones, Mexican food draws no discriminations. So with that all said, let’s get into it!
Mexican Potluck ideas
Nachos
While we often eat nachos as a small accompaniment to another meal here in the West, this doesn’t have to be the way at all. In fact, making nachos in large quantities so as to feed the whole family is not uncommon at all. With nachos, all your have to remember to to layer the toppings well so that nothing gets burnt, and of course, remember to have a fantastic sauce to hand.
Nopales
One thing we didn’t associate with cactuses at first was eating them, but – it turns out you can! Cactus salads are actually pretty common where you find cactuses growing in the wild. (Who’d have thought?) If you haven’t made this before then we recommend you buy pre-cooked cactus leaves from a specialist store. This way, you can avoid any ‘prickly’ surprises!
Mexican Quinoa Salad
One of Mexico’s best exports (in our opinion, of course) is quinoa. Healthy and containing some of the body’s most needed nutrients, quinoa is a win-win for your body. Make it into a salad, as you couldn’t ask for more. Combine it with kidney beans and corn and make it spicy, and you’ll be making it again and again.
Burritos
With burritos the best thing is that the ends of the tortilla are folded, meaning that none of your precious fillings will fall out! Not that you would ever be so careless..! With beef and beans and cabbage, the other guests will go wild in devouring your perfectly made and seasoned burritos!
Mexican Potluck Side Dishes
One thing you need to always remember is not to forget to ask people to bring side dishes! After all, you don’t only want mains. On that basis then, here are the three best Mexican Potluck Side Dishes that we can recommend.
Empanadas
One of the best Mexican Potluck dishes to take along are a batch of empanadas. Not unique to Mexico, these tasty morsels are easy to make and can be baked with the insides you choose. Resembling a sort of pasty, you can fill them with whatever you wish – meat and corn are often the favourites.
Chorizo and corn soup
Chorizo is one of those ingredients that just keeps on giving! Mix it with some corn and add in some finely chopped vegetables into your soup and there you go! Easy and quick, this is a perfect side dish.
Guacamole salad
Eating avocados should only really be done when you know the right way. With guacamole, this sumptuous food makes the rest of the salad somehow sparkle. Just add some herbs (say parsley or thyme) and some tomatoes, and a chili or two, and your guacamole salad will be ready to impress all the other guests.
Mexican Potluck Desserts
Enchiladas and Mole Sauce
Ask anyone to name a Mexican source, and the answer you’ll most likely get is ‘mole sauce’. Mole source is endlessly customisable as it means simply a sauce made from dried chilis. What’s even more confusing is once you put this on your enchiladas, they are then called enmoladas! The perfect taste though won’t be confusing at all.
Mexican Flans
We were going to name our favourite Mexican flans but then realised that there are too many! Whether you want a flan with rum or something creamy with caramel, Mexico’s flans seem to offer everything. From simple flans with minimal ingredients to fancy looking decorative pieces, we are inspired every time we make one.